Friday, November 23, 2012

On Civilian Casualties: Words Worth Quoting

Predictably enough, the media has been full of shrill accusations of
indiscriminate Israeli air strikes and deliberate targeting of
civilians. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Every strike in a civilian area is authorised in real time, personally,
by the commander of the Israeli Air Force or one of his deputies. As in
Cast Lead, extraordinary steps have been taken to minimise civilian
casualties - leaflet drops, text and radio messages, phone calls. Israel
has even developed live munitions that explode harmlessly above
terrorist-occupied buildings before a strike, warning innocent civilians
to leave.

Intelligence is vital for accurate targeting and minimising civilian
casualties. The Israelis have refined technical intelligence collection
as well as use of agents on the ground to a high degree of
sophistication. Not without a heavy cost - suspected Israeli informants
were publicly executed by Hamas this week.

Despite such immense efforts, innocent civilians, including women,
children and old people have been killed in Israeli air strikes. Every
one of these is a tragedy. But Hamas and its terrorist bedfellows
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committee must
shoulder responsibility. They deliberately place their weapons, launch
sites, communication centres and leaders right in the heart of civilian
areas.

Thus Israel's choice is stark: put up with terrorist missiles aimed at
its civilian population, or attack and risk civilian casualties in Gaza.

What do other countries do? Turkey, faced with terrorist attacks by
Kurdish separatists has repeatedly and viciously bombed what it believes
to be Kurd strongholds in the sovereign territory of Iraq. Yet Turkey
has been vehemently critical of Israel for taking similar - though far
more discriminating - action. Many have criticised Israel for the
surgical strike that killed Hamas terrorist commander Ahmed Jabari. Few
levelled similar criticism against the Americans for eliminating Osama
Bin Laden in Pakistan.

About Me

American born, my wife and I moved to Israel in 1970. We have lived at Shiloh together with our family since 1981. I was in the Betar youth movement in the US and UK. I have worked as a political aide to Members of Knesset and a Minister during 1981-1994, lectured at the Academy for National Studies 1977-1994, was director of Israel's Media Watch 1995-2000 and currently, I work at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. I was a guest media columnist on media affairs for The Jerusalem Post, op-ed contributor to various journals and for six years had a weekly media show on Arutz 7 radio. I serve as an unofficial spokesperson for the Jewish Communities in Judea & Samaria.